Honister Crag SSSI

Last updated

Honister Crag
Site of Special Scientific Interest
RIMG3511.jpg
Honister´s via ferrata with Honister Pass in the background
InterestBiological and geological
Notification 1988
Location map Magic Map

Honister Crag SSSI is a Site of Special Scientific Interest in Cumbria, England. It is designated for both biological and geological interest. The site covers an area of 302.9 ha on Honister Crag, from which it takes its name, and Fleetwith Pike, an adjacent fell.

Contents

With other SSSIs in the English Lake District, it forms part of the Lake District High Fells Special Area of Conservation It is separated from one of the other SSSIs, Buttermere Fells, by the B5289 road.

Biology

The site is important for its plants and provides one of the best examples of species-rich upland ledge communities in West Cumbria. It supports a mixture of montane and lowland species. [1]

Management

English Nature (the predecessor organisation of Natural England) identified a need to:

In 2011 Natural England successfully prosecuted Honister Slate Mine for damaging the SSSI. The mine had been redeveloped by a local businessman as a tourist attraction, and the facilities included an unapproved extension to an existing via ferrata and a zip wire. It was noted their use by paying members of the public caused significant damage to the vegetation through trampling. [3]

In November 2018 the Lake District National Park approved a planning application from the Slate Mine for a zip wire running 1 km from Fleetwith Pike (a longer wire than the one which was the subject of controversy in 2011)). [4] The Cumbria Wildlife Trust expressed concern that damage would be caused to alpine flowers. [5]

Geology

There are important exposures of rocks of the Skiddaw Group in contact with lavas and tuffs of the Borrowdale Volcanic Group. [1]

Management

According to English Nature, the "ideal management for natural inland geological sites is the maintenance of rock exposure free of vegetation and, in some cases, the build-up of rock debris". [2]

Other levels of protection

Special Area of Conservation

Since 2005 the SSSI has been protected under the Habitats Directive (European Union legislation) as part of the multi-site Special Area of Conservation known as Lake District High Fells. This designation was made in respect of the biological rather than the geological interest of the sites concerned. The SAC also includes Buttermere Fells SSSI.

World Heritage Site

The SSSI is within the Lake District National Park, which was designated a World Heritage Site in 2017 as a cultural landscape.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dale Head</span>

Dale Head is a fell in the north-western sector of the Lake District, in northern England. It is 753 metres or 2,470 feet above sea level and stands immediately north of Honister Pass, the road between Borrowdale and Buttermere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borrowdale</span> Human settlement in England

Borrowdale is a valley and civil parish in the English Lake District in the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria, England. It lies within the historic county boundaries of Cumberland. It is sometimes referred to as Cumberland Borrowdale to distinguish it from another Borrowdale in the historic county of Westmorland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nethermost Pike</span> Fell in Cumbria, England

Nethermost Pike is a fell in Cumbria, England, and a part of the Lake District. At 891 metres (2,923 ft) it is the second highest Wainwright in the Helvellyn range, the highest of which is Helvellyn itself. It is located close to the southern end of the ridge, with Helvellyn to the north, and High Crag and Dollywaggon Pike to the south. Nethermost Pike, along with many of the Eastern Fells, lies between Thirlmere in the west and the Ullswater catchment in the east. The closest villages are Glenridding and Patterdale on the shores of Ullswater, over 8 kilometres (5 mi) away.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haystacks (Lake District)</span> Fell in the Lake District, Cumbria, England

Haystacks, or Hay Stacks, is a hill in England's Lake District, situated at the south-eastern end of the Buttermere Valley. Although not of any great elevation, Haystacks has become one of the most popular fells in the area. This fame is partly due to the writings of Alfred Wainwright, who espoused its attractions and chose it as the place where he wanted his ashes scattered. Its large, undulating summit contains many rock formations, tarns and hidden recesses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honister Pass</span> Mountain pass in the English Lake District, Cumbria, England

Honister Pass is a mountain pass in the English Lake District. It is located on the B5289 road, linking Seatoller, in the valley of Borrowdale, to Gatesgarth at the southern end of Buttermere. The pass reaches an altitude of 1,167 feet (356 m), making it one of the highest in the region, and also one of the steepest, with gradients of up to 1-in-4 (25%). The saddle at the watershed is known as Honister Hause, using the Cumbrian word hause for such a feature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fleetwith Pike</span>

Fleetwith Pike is a fell in the English Lake District in the county of Cumbria which reaches a height of 648 metres (2,126 feet). The fell is a well-known feature of the area as it casts an imposing presence over Buttermere and the Honister Pass on the B5289 motor road between Borrowdale and Buttermere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rannerdale Knotts</span>

Rannerdale Knotts is a fell in the Lake District of Cumbria, England. Rising from the Buttermere valley, it is one of the smaller Cumbrian hills and is overlooked by a number of surrounding fells, such as Grasmoor, Whiteless Pike and, across Crummock Water, Mellbreak and the High Stile ridge. Rannerdale Knotts is said to be the site of a battle between the native Cumbrians and Norsemen and the invading Normans in the late 11th or early 12th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grey Knotts</span> Fell in the Lake District, Cumbria, England

Grey Knotts is a fell in the English Lake District. It is situated one kilometre south of the B5289 road as it crosses the Honister Pass. It is well seen from mid-Borrowdale as it rises above Seatoller. Grey Knotts reaches a height of 697 metres (2287 feet) and is part of a ridge which ascends from the woodland behind Seatoller and continues south-west and then south for four kilometres to Great Gable. The fell's name really only applies to the summit rocks, but has been adopted for the entire fell with the high ground in this area, locally known as Seatoller Fell on Ordnance Survey maps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honister Slate Mine</span> Slate mine in Cumbria in the United Kingdom

The Honister Slate Mine in Cumbria is the last working slate mine in England. Quarrying for Westmorland green slate has been taking place in the area since 1728. Apart from the mining it is also a popular tourist attraction in the Lake District National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Borne</span>

Great Borne is a fell in the English Lake District with a height of 616 m (2,021 ft). It is a rather secluded hill situated at the western end of the long ridge which divides the Ennerdale and Buttermere valleys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ennerdale, Cumbria</span> Valley in Cumbria, England

Ennerdale is a valley in Cumbria, England. Ennerdale Water, fed by the River Liza, is the most westerly lake in the Lake District National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brandreth</span> Fell in the Lake District, Cumbria, England

Brandreth is a fell in the English Lake District. It stands between Great Gable and Haystacks in the Western Fells.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Western Fells</span>

The North Western Fells are a group of hills in the English Lake District. Including such favourites as Catbells and Grisedale Pike, they occupy an oval area beneath the Buttermere and Borrowdale valley systems. The North Western Fells are characterised by soaring east-west ridges and an absence of mountain tarns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Fells</span>

The Western Fells are a group of hills in the English Lake District. Centred on Great Gable they occupy a triangular area between Buttermere and Wasdale. The Western Fells are characterised by high ridges and an abundance of naked rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skiddaw Group</span>

For the Skiddaw group of hills, see Skiddaw Group

Pillar and Ennerdale Fells is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Ennerdale, Cumbria, England. Protected for its biological interest, the site is named after Pillar, which at 892 metres (2,927 ft) is the eighth-highest mountain in the Lake District, and other fells in the same range. The area is 425.25 ha.

Lake District High Fells is a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) in Cumbria, England, which was designated in 2005. It is a multi-site SAC with an area of 27003.07 ha consisting of 10 separate sites including the summit of Scafell Pike, which at 977 m is the highest mountain in England. The SAC takes its name from the English Lake District and "Fell", the local word for a mountain. It protects 16 habitat types listed in the European Union's Habitats Directive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honister Crag</span>

Honister Crag is a fell in the English Lake District. It has a height of 634 metres. It is adjacent to Fleetwith Pike, a higher summit, but it can claim to be a fell in its own right, as it is a Nuttall – one of the hills in England and Wales that are at least 2,000 feet (610 metres) high with a relative height of at least 15 metres (49.2 feet).

References

  1. 1 2 "Honister Crag" (PDF). naturalengland.org.uk. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Views about management: Honister Crag" (PDF). Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  3. "Honister slate mine owner faces £28,000 legal bill". Cumberland and Westmorland Herald . 19 August 2011. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  4. "Honister zip wire plans given the go ahead". 7 November 2018.
  5. "CEO expresses concern about Honister zip..." 2018.